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Wyler's Constant


Wyler's constant is defined as

alpha_W=9/(8pi^4)((pi^5)/(2^4·5!))^(1/4)
(1)
=0.0072973...
(2)
=1/(137.0360824...)
(3)

(Wyler 1969, 1971; OEIS A180872 and A180873), which at the time it was proposed, agreed with experiment to within +/-1.5 ppm for the value of the fine structure constant alpha in physics. The current best value for alpha is given by

 alpha=1/(137.035999084(51))
(4)

(Hanneke et al. 2008).

While it appears to have a connection with the invariance group of a relativistic quantum theoretical wave equation, a number of errors in Wyler's papers are cited in Robertson (1971). Robertson (1971) also notes, "It is appealing to think that it [the fine-structure constant] might be derivable theoretically. Wyler's number ... appears to have better chances to be derived from a theory than any of the other numbers that also agree with experiment. It may be that even though the expression (8) [from Wyler's paper] is not correct, the number (12) [Wyler's constant] somehow is correct." Adler (1972) terms the constant, "a number in search of a theory" and notes that "whether the agreement of Eq. (23) [Wyler's constant] with experiment has a basis in physics, or is purely fortuitous, remains at present a completely open question."

Kragh (2003) summarized the history of conjectured closed expressions for the fine structure constant, though does not mention Wyler's form.


See also

Almost Integer, Eddington Number

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References

Adler, S. L. "Theories of the Fine Structure Constant." Publication 72/059-T. Batavia, IL: Fermilab, 1972.Gilmore, R. "Scaling of Wyler's Expression for alpha." Phys. Rev. Lett. 28, 462-464, 1972.Hanneke, D.; Fogwell, S.; and Gabrielse, G. "New Measurement of the Electron Magnetic Moment and the Fine Structure Constant." Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 120801 (4 pages), 2008.Kragh, H. "Magic Number: A Partial History of Fine-Structure Constant." Arch. Hist. Exact Sci. 57, 395-431, 2003.Lubkin, G. B. "A Mathematician's Version of the Fine-Structure Constant."Physics Today 24, No. 8, 17-19, 1971.Robertson, B. "Wyler's Expression for the Fine-Structure Constant alpha." Phys. Rev. Lett. 27, 1545-1547, 1971.Sloane, N. J. A. Sequences A180872 and A180872 in "The On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences."Wyler, A. "L'espace symétrique du groupe des équations de Maxwell." C. R. Acad. Sci. Sér. A-B 269, A743-A745, 1969.Wyler, A. "'Les groupes des potentiels de Coulomb et de Yukawa." C. R. Acad. Sci. Ser. A 271, 186-188, 1971.

Referenced on Wolfram|Alpha

Wyler's Constant

Cite this as:

Weisstein, Eric W. "Wyler's Constant." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/WylersConstant.html

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